Fundamental Studies of Light-Matter Interactions in Quantum Nanophotonics

我们的研究小组活跃在纳米光子学和固态量子光学等领域。光子纳米结构将允许人们以前所未有的控制来操纵光和物质之间的量子相互作用，我们的工作有助于开发模型和模拟来理解和利用这些现象，从而实现新的量子设备。我们的研究性质反映了量子光学、纳米光子学、凝聚态物质物理和量子信息科学等领域的广泛兴趣。已经建立了一个强大的实验研究合作网络，涉及来自英国约克大学/圣安迪斯大学、法国泰利斯研究和开发公司、德国斯图加特大学、加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚大学、加拿大国家研究委员会、柏林理工大学和丹麦尼尔斯·玻尔研究所的小组。*这项提议将研究广泛的光子纳米结构，如半导体量子点、光子晶体腔、纳米线波导和金属纳米谐振器，以操纵量子与光物质的相互作用。三种主要的靶材系统包括量子点、光子晶体芯片和金属纳米谐振器。我们的工作无论是从基础科学的角度还是从量子光学的角度来看都很重要，并适用于下一代量子光学和纳米光子技术。例如，我们的研究将对在半导体芯片上实现纳米级量子光源具有重要意义。量子点的行为就像“人造原子”，可以按需产生单个光子，而周围的光子介质可以用来控制光子的存储和发射。这样的量子光源将得到优化，并将在量子密码学中得到应用，也是迈向基于芯片的量子计算的重要第一步。光子晶体结构将允许人们直接控制光子的局域态密度，并操纵光在介质中的传播方式，从而增强非线性和量子光物质的相互作用。金属纳米谐振器产生局部等离子体共振，允许在亚波长尺度上对光进行极端的空间限制，并可以充当纳米天线。在所有这些研究领域中，数值模拟都极具挑战性，量子光学研究在很大程度上仍处于初级阶段。*这项发现拨款提案的影响将通过以下方式得到广泛应用：(I)开发及时有效的模型概要，以描述固态纳米结构中的量子光学；(Ii)与实验小组广泛合作，测试我们的理论并解释他们的数据；以及(Iii)为对加拿大能源经济重要的技术光子学领域的见习和研究人员提供积极而刺激的培训体验。总的来说，我们将为至少六名研究生、五名本科生和两名PDF提供培训。**

Our research group is active in the areas of nanophotonics and solid state quantum optics. Photonic nanostructures allow one to manipulate quantum interactions between light and matter with unprecedented control, and our work helps develop models and simulations to understand and exploit such phenomena to realize new quantum devices. The nature of our research reflects a broad range of interests in fields such as quantum optics, nanophotonics, condensed matter physics, and quantum information science. A strong network of experimental collaborations has been put in place, involving groups from York University/St. Andews, UK; Thales Research and Development, France; University of Stuttgart, Germany; University of British Columbia, Canada; National Research Council of Canada; Technical University of Berlin and the Niels Bohr Institute, Denmark.***This proposal will investigate a wide range of photonic nanostructures such as semiconductor quantum dots, photonic crystal cavities, nanowire waveguides, and metal nanoresonators, to manipulate quantum light-matter interactions. Three target material systems include quantum dots, photonic crystal chips, and metal nanoresonators. Our work is important from both a fundamental science perspective in quantum optics and has applications for next-generation quantum- and nano-photonic technologies. For example, our research will be important for realizing nanoscale quantum light sources on a semiconductor chip. Quantum dots behave as "artificial atoms" that can produce single photons on demand, whilst the surrounding photonic medium can serve to control the storage and emission of the photons. Such quantum light sources will be optimized and will find use in quantum cryptography and are also an important first step toward chip-based quantum computing. The photonic crystal structures will allow one to control the local density of states of the photons, and manipulate how light propagates in the medium, enhancing both nonlinear and quantum light matter interactions. Metal nanoresonators create local plasmon resonances that allow extreme spatial confinement of light on a sub-wavelength scale and can act as a nanoantenna. In all these fields of research, numerical modelling is extremely challenging and quantum optical studies are still largely in its infancy. ***The impact of this discovery grant proposal will find broad uses through: (i) the development of a compendium of timely and efficient models to describe quantum optics in solid state nanostructures, (ii) extensive collaboration with experimental groups to test our theories and to explain their data, and (iii) providing a vigorous and stimulating training experience for trainee researchers in technological photonics areas that are important to the Canadian economy. Altogether, we will be providing training for at least six graduate students, five undergraduate students, and two PDFs.**